Hooked on Fishing Not On Drugs – 2017
(June 24, 2017)

WHERE:

Event Description

Get out there and fish!

EVENT RECAP

Hooked On Fishing Not On Drugs was held on June 24, 2017.  148 kids between the ages of 9 and 12 years old participated this year.  The morning was filled with instruction sessions including:

• Conservation
• Assembling Bottom Rigs
• Rod and Reel handling
• Knot Tying
• Fish Identification
• Marine Safety

After a tasty lunch provided by Firehouse Subs to all of the kids, chaperones and volunteers we headed to the Virginia Beach Fishing Center and boarded three Head Boats.  Whaler, Angler and Mariner.  We all headed out of Rudee Inlet and set course to the north along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.  Quite a few Dolphin were spotted towards the north end of the beach around Cape Henry.  From there we moved on to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel where the Captains put the kids on schools of fish. Every child caught one or more fish.  Volunteers measured and recorded each fish that was caught before being released back into the bay.   After a few hours of fishing we returned to Rudee Inlet and enjoyed a nice dinner and awards banquet.  Trophies were presented to the top 7 anglers from each of the 3 boats.  These awards were based on the highest number of inches of fish caught by the kids.  Awards were also given for largest fish by length and most unusual fish.

Here are the stats for the day.

• Anglers – 148
• 3 Headboats – Whaler, Angler, Mariner
• Total fish caught and released – 866
• Total inches of all fish released was 6,189 inches (almost 2 football fields)
• Team Whaler caught 328 fish
• Team Angler caught 283 fish
• Team Mariner caught 255 fish
• Species caught included Spot, Croaker, Seabass and Gray Trout

HOF-NOD Pictures

HOF-NOD  Pictures